Halifax Needham By-election August 2016, Volume 1 Report Tabled

Release date:

February 15, 2017

The Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Proceedings of the Halifax Needham By-
Election August 30, 2016 Volume I: Statement of Votes and Statistics was tabled in the
House of Assembly last evening. In addition to the report documenting the results and
analysis of voting opportunities and elector participation, the Chief Electoral Officer presents
two recommendations. Volume II: Statement of Financial information & Statistics will be
released once the candidate and party filings have been reviewed.

Elections Nova Scotia has recommended the removal of the requirement to publish the
notice of election and grant of poll in a newspaper. In his recommendation, Chief Electoral
Officer Richard Temporale observes that newspaper advertising is now only one of several
modes of communication used to reach the public, “Other modes of communicating the
notice of election may cost less and reach more eligible electors. In some cases, use of
direct mail, for example, may be more fiscally responsible.”, says CEO Richard Temporale.

The report also updates a recommendation from the Annual Report of the Chief Electoral
Officer 2015-2016 regarding Communications Nova Scotia Election Advertising Policy. The
recommendation again called for CNS policy to explicitly prohibit most government
advertising and communications during an election. After meeting with CNS in November,
ENS is awaiting a formal response to the recommendation.